Beat the Reaper
by The Optimist And The Pessimist
Summary: He's a surgeon with a past...He's a hit man with a sense of right and wrong...And he's got 24 hours to beat the reaper. Edmund Vargas, is a young Seattle surgeon with an strange past that is just about to catch up with him. Full summary inside, AH, Canon.
1. Prologue

**_A/N: Hello faithful reader, newcomers and so on.. here is a new story. We've never done this before.. yes, this is an all human story. wow!! now we know some of you might want us to update on Problems of Peace... but this story.. is something different and we will be updating this one more often.. and to tell you the truth POP is on hiatus right now.. and we'll pick it up at some point.. _**

**_FULL SUMMARY:_**

**_He's a surgeon with a past...He's a hit man with a sense of right and wrong...And he's got 24 hours to beat the reaper. Edmund Vargas, is a young Seattle surgeon with an strange past that is just about to catch up with him. Because Edmund's new patient knows him from his other life, when he had a different name and a very different job. The only reason he's a surgeon now is thanks to the Witness Protection Program - and even that can't protect him from the long reach of the Chicago Mob. Now he's got to buy some time to do whatever it takes to keep his patient - and himself - alive. AH, Canon_**

**_-Louise & Charlotte. :D_**

**_DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns the characters and and we've borrowed some things from "Beat the Reaper" but not much. _**

Prologue

_Seattle, 2009 5__th__ of October, 3 AM_

EPOV

White walls, white lights, people in different shades and colours of scrubs and of course the crisp, white lab coats; the hospital. A distant sound of a pager going off and my hand automatically went down to my waistband, hoping that it wasn't mine. But as I saw a tired looking doctor running past me I felt the relief running through my body. I still had a little time. My bag felt heavy against my shoulder and my eyes were half closed; telling me that I should have slept some more. As I took a turn towards the locker room, I snuck a glance at the clock hanging on the wall; 3 AM.

I lifted my head to look at the deserted hall way, only to come face to face with Isaac. He looked like I felt; tired as hell, which was understandable. He had been working the night shift almost constantly, since we began our internship. Poor guy. And the only reason was because he wasn't a Native American and that apparently was enough reason. I hated the system. He still managed the smile at me, as he slowed down to talk with me.

"My oh my, did Dr. Vargas finally get a night shift? Never thought I would live to see this happen," he said in mocking tone that made me smile.

"Don't start with me Isaac. So is there anything good tonight?" I asked, while Isaac's smile just got wider and turned into something that resembled a smirk; this wasn't good.

"If you by good, mean something to cut open, then no, But what we do have is Mr. Johnson," He stopped to take in my expression, and started again, apparently finding it satisfying, "And then we have a dying man in room 407; Cancer. He's annoying as hell, and he's all yours," he finished this off with yet one of his annoying smirks, that made my fist clench and me fighting back the urge to slap him.

"I said something good, not the usual, Isaac," I said dryly, trying to wipe off that smirk of his, with no luck.

"It's all there is, and trust me. You'd rather talk to Mr. Johnson then stitching up crying girls in the ER, right?" I nodded mutely, he clapped my shoulder and walked past me.

"Good luck, Vargas, see you at rounds," and then he was gone. I sighed, hating that motherfucker because I knew he had something good waiting for him at the ER.

I turned to left and walked into the locker room, already dreading this shift. I took of my beat up jacket and pushed it into my locker, while taking out my white lab coat. I took a look at the name written on.

_Dr. Edmund Vargas. _

The name disgusted me. Really, who would name their child Edmund? And do you really think that a guy like me would have fucking name like that? Fucking witness protection, they never took the time to actually look at the names they gave people, Edmund?! Edmund; An Idiot name, which made me sound like a guy from a fucking Jane Austen novel, which in the end meant; gay.

I took on my crisp, white, hospital smelling lab coat on, then proceeded to grab the water bottle from my bag, and then closed my locker. I leaned against it and took a sip of the cool liquid. I opened the locker and laid the bottle on top of my bag. I took a deep breath, draped my stethoscope around my neck and nodded at myself while looking in the mirror.

_Calm. Cool. Collected. _

I walked out of the locker room, passed some of the nurses, whom I sent my dazzling smile, which made them turn into fuckable goo, which in turn made me smirk. I would always thank my dad for his genes. I entered room 247, with the smirk still intact.

"How are we doing tonight Randy?" I said, as the old man turned towards me and grunted.

"I feel like crap. The food sucks, all the good nurses left and now you're here? What do you think, doc?" he groaned and glared at me.

"Randy, you know I have to ask. Are the painkillers working or do you need me to tell the nurses to give you a higher dosage?" as the words had left my mouth, I could see his eyebrows frown at me, and I knew that the randy show had just begun.

"Why are you just standing there? Do you think I hired you; just so you could stand and fiddle with your thumbs all day? And what the hell are you wearing? We're builders, not… doctors, son! Hand me my hammer and get started!" I smiled and handed him one of my pens and he seemed perfectly okay with that.

Randy was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer last year. His lucid moments were short and rare. The guy always made me smile. He started hitting the table next to him, while looking extremely concentrated. I shook my head and took a look at his chart. Everything looked good.

"Randy? You need anything?" he turned to glare at me. The old fucker loved to glare at people, though it just made you want to laugh some more, not cover in fear. He grunted and got back to work. He clearly didn't need my help tonight. I walked out of the room, with a small smile playing across my lips.

I walked towards the nurses' station, hoping to find the chart for the guy in room 407. Fucking Isaac! I turned to the left, then to the right and came face to face with the nurses' station. There were three nurses there at the moment; Shirley, Ashley and Ellen.

They all looked very busy, maybe it was an illusion, because let's face it; the nightshifts were not the busied time. They turned to look at me, as they heard me approach, all three of them smiling. I turned on the dazzling smile I knew would give me whatever I wanted. And it worked as usual. They were like pudding in my hands.

"Hello Ladies, how are we doing this evening?" I said in my almost disgustingly, charming voice. They fell for it and there smiles widened.

"Hello Dr. Vargas, since when did you begin to have nightshifts?" was Ashley's reply as she batted her eyelashes at me and tried to look sexy. But wearing scrubs made that an almost impossible feat. I leaned over the tabletop and looked her in the eye.

"Since you started working the nightshifts" I said and flirted back at her, even though I wanted to puke. She smiled and blushed a little.

_Damn it, not the blushing, not now. I promised myself that I wouldn't think about her. _

"Ashley, I need the chart for room 407. Could you maybe find that chart for me? Please?" I finished off my plea with one of my dazzling smile that usually made women weak in the knees. It worked.

"Of course Dr. Vargas, let me find it for you," she said in a shaky voice that made me smile. I still had it in me. I looked at the other two and saw that Shirley was staring at me, while Ellen was shaking her head at me. Ashley turned around with the chart in her hand and smiled at me.

"Here it is. And just to give you a little tip, call him Mr. Black, and only Mr. Black. He can be awful when he wants to," she stage whispered at me, I dazzled her and nodded to the two others.

_Black. He can't be here. _

_He's not, why would he? He thinks you're dead, now calm the fuck down!_

_I am calm, nothing is wrong… a lot of people has the name Black. It's common. _

"I shall see you ladies later," I said and smiled to hide my panic, they didn't notice. They all said a mutual, "Yes Dr. Vargas," which made me shake my head. Nurses… Way too easy.

I turned left, then turned right, then to the left and then I entered my patience room. I opened the chart and greeted him without looking at him.

"Hello Mr. Black, I am Dr. Vargas. How's the pain? Do you need any morphine, I see they gave you 5mg, but we could push another dose if the pain is making you uncomfortable?" I said, still looking through the chart. He was a lost cause …. Stage four, nothing we could do about it. He had a day, maybe three left. And that was if he was lucky. A harsh, cynical whisper brought me out of my daze.

"Well, well… if it isn't Edward Cullen, back from the land of the dead I suppose?" the voice made my eyes widen and my head snap up to look at my worst nightmare.

_Jacob Black._

**_A/N2: I hate these.. I really do.._**

**_but I just want to tell you that Reviews makes writers happy.. so_**

**_REVIEW!!!_**

**_-Louise. :D_**


	2. Love is Not a Threat

_**A/N: So here is Chapter 2. I know that not that many of you have read this story, but give a chance, we have great ideas for it... and I just want to thank all of the people who keep on reading Broken Strings and Problems of Peace.. we will get back to POP. WE PROMISE YOU THAT..**_

_**so why not read this, while you're waiting? **_

_**-Charlotte & Louise. **_

_**DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns the Characters, we're just playing with them. **_

Previously on Beat the Reaper:

"_Well, well… if it isn't Edward Cullen, back from the land of the dead I suppose?" the voice made my eyes widen and my head snap up to look at my worst nightmare. _

_Jacob Black._

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An Ultimatum:  
1. A final statement of terms made by one party to another.  
2. A statement, especially in diplomatic negotiations,  
that expresses or implies the threat of serious penalties if the terms are not accepted

_Seattle, 2009 5__th__ of October, 3:25 am_

_Dead… there's actually I pretty fun story behind that. You see… I kind of didn't die; I just made all of them think I did. _

_I even attended my own funeral, which was… indescribable. Seeing your parents cry over a coffin with nothing in it. And then your girl, looking heartbroken, leaning against her fucking fiancé, whom by the way "killed" me. Well he didn't do it alone... my two best friends and one of my men helped him too. Not the greatest moment in my life. Oh, and did I tell you all that my girl watched the whole thing, screaming her head off? _

_No? Well she did. _

_And now said fiancé or maybe even husband was sitting in front of me… and oh, he only had to make one call and then he could have me killed…_

_Fuck!_

"Jacob Black." I said as a greeting. I really thought last time I had seen his ugly face, would have been the last. And I am pretty sure he had thought the same. I out on my blank face and smirked at him, he didn't need to see my panic… the crazy bastard would probably enjoy. No wait I knew he would.

"Pardon me if I sound rude, but… how the hell can you still be alive? We left you in that alley and trust me you weren't breathing!" He hissed while his eyes narrowed at me, the distant beep of the heart monitor became quicker, as a doctor I should tell him to calm down.

_Do no harm, Edward. DO NO FUCKING HARM! _

"Listen, you need to calm down, okay? And yes I was breathing; you fuckers just don't know when people are faking and when they're not!" I said calmly, while the beeping slowed down.

"I was at your fucking funeral!" I raised my eyebrows at him; he would figure it out… because even though I hated to say it, the idiot was intelligent. And I knew he got it as soon as he started laughing.

"The feds… Wow Edward never thought you would cross over to the dark side," He whispered in his wheezing, weak voice.

"You gotta do what you gotta do; Black… you out of all people should know that." I said while I placed the chart on that little, stupid table at the end of the bed.

"I know that, but really the feds… then you got a new name?" I nodded and threw my ID card at him. He face broke into a smile and he started laughing, which sounded more like a bad round of coughing.

"Edmund Vargas?" he said, while coughing. "The feds couldn't even come up with a normal name; they had to give you a Latino version of a bad Jane Austen novel name? How disappointing," he was still chuckling/coughing to himself.

"You know how they work," I said as I leaned against the small table in front of me, keeping my cool.

"Witness protection… oh how many problems that program have been giving us over the years… It's quite impressive too, how the government actual made something… that works," he was looking at me, as though he was in deep thought. I knew that look, and I didn't like it. Not one bit. I nodded at him and opened my mouth, but was interrupted by my pager. I looked at it. Code blue.

_Fuck! _

I ran out of the room, without saying anything to Black. I turned the corner and then another one, and then ran towards the room, where all the nurses were to and from.

"How long has he been down?" I asked as I looked at the guy, who wasn't my patient. One of the nurses looked frantically at me, as she did CPR.

"He's been down for 20 minutes, we just need you to call him," I looked at the guy in front of me, and then looked at all the nurses, who were looking expectantly at me.

_Oh crap, was I really going to do this?_

_I was._

"One more round of epi, give me paddles," the nurse closest to me gave me the paddles. "Charge to 60," the always present sound of charging started and I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"Clear!" all hands came of the guy's body. I pushed the battles onto his chest, his chest pushed of the table. We all turned our heads to look at the heart monitor. And when the long, dreadful beep followed, I dropped the paddles and backed away from the patient, while I took a deep breath, while I turned to look at the clock on the wall.

"Time of dead, 3:45 AM," I then turned to one of the nurses, "page the Doctor on the case and inform the family, okay?" she nodded her head solemnly, "And someone please clean him up!" they all nodded as I stepped out of the room. I turned my head and looked at Isaac, who came running towards me. He took one look at my face and slowed down.

"What happened?" he asked, though he already knew what I was going to say. I grabbed one of his shoulders and shook my head at him.

"He coded and we couldn't get him back, they tried for over 20 minutes Isaac… but he was already gone," He nodded at me and walked into the room. I turned around and went back to Black's room. As I walked into the room, he was on the phone.

"You do know that you can't use that here, right?" I said and he turned to look at me, noticing me for the first time. He raises one skinny finger at my, signaling that he'll be done in a minute.

"Yes, yes... but I need you to do this, I need to trust you on this matter. Can I do that," Black said, while there was a pregnant pause, I raised my eyebrows at his words. What the hell was going on? "I know I could, I'll call you back later for more details… okay. Bye!" He ended the call and looked at me, an evil smirk marrying his features.

_Edward, this is not good… That smirk has got you into more trouble, than you'll ever want to remember. _

_FUCK!_

"Good to have you back, Cullen. Sit down, sit down," he said and pointed to the chair next to his bed, I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a seat.

"I have a preposition for you," he said, the smirk still intact. My face showed no trace of distress, but my instincts were telling me to get the fuck out of here.

_And you should listen to them. _

"What makes you think I would agree to it?" his smirk grew wider, I gave him what he wanted.

_IDIOT!_

"Because I have something you want. Something you've always wanted. Something that is mine to do what I want with… even kill if I want to," he whispered, as he started coughing again. I could feel my blood boiling with pure anger.

_He's baiting you, he would never do that... so calm down! Seriously!_

"First of all, you would never do that. And second of all, I believe you want me to do something for you, in return of you keeping _her _safe," I said slowly. He nodded and coughed out a little laugh.

"See you understand. To be honest with you, it's fairly simple. You save my life and she will still be alive," he said and smiled a shit-eating smile at me.

_He wanted you to do what?!_

I couldn't keep my emotions in check and I knew I had failed as his smile reached a whole new level of gleefulness. He couldn't do that, it was just not possible.

"Charlie would never let you do that!" I whispered as my hands grabbed the arms of the chair in tight hold. My knuckles were turning white, and I knew Black had noticed this. The coughing started again and I knew he was enjoying himself.

"Oh, good thing Charlie's dead then," my eyes widened at this information, when the hell had that happened? Black apparently saw the confused look on my face and decided to explain.

"Well you see, Charlie died a year ago… and I helped a little on the way, or maybe a lot. I don't know. Fucker deserved his faith. I was even compassionate, I shot him in the head, dead on the spot," he rasped while I just stared at him in shock.

_Charlie died? Maybe you should take this shit serious, Cullen?_

"Doesn't matter if Charlie died, Emmett would never let you do it!" I said and tightened my grip on the chair, I had stopped all blood from running to my fingers, and I didn't give a flying fuck! Black started laughing.

"Emmett? He left as soon as we had "killed" you. He disappeared. One day he was an American citizen, next day. He disappeared from the face of the earth. So no help there," his smirk was still in place, and my hands were itching to give him what he fucking deserved.

_Calm, Cool, Collected… He's already enjoying this too much… you hitting him, would be the best thing that could ever happen to him. _

"And Rosalie? She would never let you do it!" he shook his head at me.

"Rosalie? She left with Emmett… which is a pity, I miss looking at her ass… aw man, and those tits. Emmett is one lucky bastard, that's for sure," he said while he looked deep in thought, probably thinking about Hale's amazing ass.

_Pervert. _

_Shut up, Hale is smoking hot, and you fucking know it. _

_Okay then. _

"He left… Then there's… Whitlock, he would never fucking let you do it, and you know that!" I hissed at him, trying to keep my voice down.

"Jasper? Really… since you left, he's been going through a lot of changes. And trust me… He would. Even if it was _Bella_, he would," I just sat there baffled as I heard the name I had avoided thinking about for the last couple of years.

_Bella. Blushing. Beautiful. Mine. _

_Dude. You can think about her later, right know we've got a situation!! _

"She's your wife Jacob, doesn't that mean anything to you?" the indifferent looked that passed his eyes, made me want to kill him on the spot. Just take a scalpel and kill him.

"She doesn't mean anything to me, if I'm dead," he said and shrugged, his eyes turned stone cold his hands flexed.

"so you want me to save your life, which by the way is impossible, or else you'll kill her? True?" he only offered me a curt nod. I took a deep breath. He had stage four cancer. There was no way in hell I could save him.

_YOU HAVE TO FUCKING TRY!_

"You have 3 days left to live in… at the most, Black. There's no way in hell I can save your life. It's just impossible," I whispered as I buried my head in my hands.

"You're doctor, you're smart… you'll figure something out!" he said with a confidence that made me jump out of the chair. I was breathing heavily as I looked at him.

"Did you not just hear what I said? I said tha-"he interrupted me with a hand motion.

"I got what you said, but did you not hear what I said? I am talking about Bella here… do you really want her to die? Do you really want her blood on your hands too?!" he hissed and started coughing; his heart rate sped up again.

_Edward? Get him to calm down!_

"but I said 3 days!" he raised his brows at me.

"Well then I suggest, that you hurry the fuck up. We don't want her to die, do we?" he said and shooed me out of his room. I just kept on walking. I walked past all the nurses, all the doctors, all the blurry no-names I would never meet again. I walked along all the corridors till I finally, finally… pushed open the doors and was out in the open air. My lungs felt like they were exploding, my heart was in my throat, clearly trying to escape. I bended forward and grabbed my knees with my arms.

My breathing slowed down after a few minutes. I stood back on my feet and took a deep, deep breath. I could feel the tears pressing in the corners of my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes for a brief second, but it was enough, that one second was enough to see her. Her face. Her hair. Her rosy cheeks.

_Bella… Bella… what the hell was I supposed to do?!_

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